Grainstack (Sunset) essays

Grainstack (Sunset) essays Impressionist paintings are put into a category based on certain characteristics. Such features include light that draws attention to objects, rough textures, and visual pleasure that the viewer receives upon looking at paintings. Grainstack (Sunset) by Claude Monet is a great example of this. During the time this painting was done, there were several disturbances going on in Europe, such as high rates of suicide and the creation of anarchist groups. It was during this time period that Monet wanted to establish himself as a great painter. As the viewer looks at this painting, they are taken into a rural scene. The grainstack is the major object in the painting that the viewer notices first. There are several striking areas of light as the human eye moves around the painting. The sunset causes a brilliant display of colors around the scene. The sky is fading in the background as the sun sets. There is a small amount of blue still hanging in the sky, and under that a large portion of a yellow hue from the sun setting. As the suns sets further, it causes a pink color above the land. Consequently, the sunset has caused the color of the grainstacks to darken. It is obvious that the light left in the scene is on the other side of the stack. There is a shadow cast of the back side, making the stacks top dark brown, and giving the bottom a dark red color. The rural scenes in the painting, as well as the other grainstacks in his series paintings, all basically share many of the same characteristics. The haystacks are never overwhelmed by light. As in Grainstack (Sunset), the stack holds its own in the painting. The light simply draws attention to it. The conical top and body of the stack are outlined by the light and make it the focus of the painting. At first glance, the stacks are hard to notice, but when the viewer looks closer at the painting, there is a row of farmhouses in the background of the painting. They d...